Kalkara
The '''Kalkara '''are creatures from The Ruins of Gorlan. They were an ancient race that resided in relative secrecy in the Mountains of Rain and Night. They were discovered by Morgarath during one of his forays into the Mountains. To Halt's knowledge, there were only two still in existence, as a group of three knights killed one. Halt killed the second-to-last with his arrows, and Baron Arald and Sir Rodney finished it off. Will killed the last one with a flaming arrow. Appearance The Kalkara's physical makeup is a cross between a bear and an ape, and they possess the abilities of both: incredible speed and strength. They receive more than adequate protection from the hair that grows on their bodies; it is heavily matted and coated in a sticky, wax-like substance, resulting in a natural armor comparable to the strength and durability of scales. With vicious talons on each hand, and standing over two and a half meters tall, they represent a very intimidating and dangerous foe. While their physical prowess alone classifies the Kalkara as an extremely dangerous enemy, their true power lies in a side effect: anyone who looks into the red, hate-filled eyes of the Kalkara is immediately rendered helpless and stunned due to an overwhelming feeling of fear. Whether this is a type of magic or just a natural ability is not fully known, however, it is this single ability that allows the Kalkara to overcome and cut down even the strongest of prey. Strengths/Powers: The Kalkara can use their eyes to paralyze their victims with fear. This is similar to the way a snake paralyzes a bird before it kills the bird. While you are paralyzed you go limp and lose all ability to help yourself. The full effects are unknown and it is suspected that the stare used for an extended period of time can stop a man's heart. Their hair creates a protective armor. They use their legs to sprint deceptively quickly and jump very far distances. They also show incredible endurance as they are able to keep ahead of the Ranger Horses, Tug, Abelard, and Blaze. Weaknesses: While their matted hair is very strong, the substance that coats the hair is waxy and as such is flammable. They are obsessed with silver, and this is how Morgarath recruited them. Due to their single-mindedness, they must return back to their den after every assassination before receiving a new target. This allows Halt, Will, and Gilan to track them. Their simple animalistic behaviors also cause them to pause and scream out in triumph when they kill or are about to kill. They are also afraid of fire as it is the only sure way to kill them. This gives Will a window of opportunity to use a flaming arrow to kill the last Kalkara. It is also said that the second best way to kill a Kalkara, after fire, is the use of battleaxes, broadswords, and other such heavy weapons, as the first were killed that way. Intelligence: While the Kalkara do show simple instincts, they also demonstrate intelligence. They were able to lead Halt and Gilan to believe that they did not know that the Rangers were following them. Will, however, did notice this fact and professed his thoughts to Baron Arald and Sir Rodney. During the same journey the Kalkara were able to ambush Halt, albeit he did notice the fact that the Gorlan Ruins would be an ideal place to be ambushed, due to the fact that he would not be able to use his longbow much. This strategic point for restricting Halt's use of his longbow again emphasizes the Kalkara's intelligence. Additionally, Morgarath cannot control them through his mind like he can with the Wargals, due to their intelligence. Instead, he controls them through their obsessive love and worship of silver. The Kalkara and their demise: There were originally three, to Halt's knowledge as of book one, but one was killed by the three knights. Only one knight survived, and he was crippled for life. The remaining two worked for Morgarath as assassins, killing whomever Morgarath wished dead. Morgarath bribed them with silver, for which they have an endless fascination. They succeeded in killing Lord Lorriac through a prolonged stare and Lord Northolt with their talons. The second-to-last Kalkara was gravely wounded by Halt, who sent a barrage of arrows into its chest within a "hand's breadth", but then the last one smashed his longbow. It was the combined efforts of Baron Arald and Sir Rodney who finally pushed the wounded Kalkara into the fire. Halt threw his knife into the remaining Kalkara's eye, with his own eyes closed so as to beat the hypnotizing stare (a feat only a handful of rangers could have accomplished) and sprinted for the Baron and the Battlemaster, Sir Rodney, but he never made it; the Kalkara jumped up and knocked him unconscious. When the Baron stepped forward, attacking with his broadsword, the Kalkara blocked it with its arm, and swiftly injured the Baron. However, Sir Rodney stepped forward before the Kalkara could kill him, and smashed his battleaxe into the Kalkara's side, staggering it. Before he could strike again, though, Sir Rodney was paralyzed by the Kalkara's stare. The Kalkara then screamed in triumph as those three men (Halt, Baron Arald and Sir Rodney) had caused it incredible pain, and now it would be able to kill them. The problem was, there were four people, not three. It did not notice Will, who coated an arrow in flaming pitch and shot the remaining Kalkara as it was celebrating. With its death, the species is likely to have gone extinct, as those were the last known surviving Kalkara. Category:Deceased Category:Antagonists Category:Animals Category:Races Category:The Ruins of Gorlan characters